Hi,
Well ive been doing BJJ for a couple of months now but my problem is I am always on top. But now i want to start using my guard. I tried to use guard in training today and it really sucked. So basically im asking you to give me some tips on the guard.

esp. BEst ways to setup up subs , and avoid the other guy from passing.

Hi,
Well ive been doing BJJ for a couple of months now but my problem is I am always on top. But now i want to start using my guard. I tried to use guard in training today and it really sucked. So basically im asking you to give me some tips on the guard.

esp. BEst ways to setup up subs , and avoid the other guy from passing.

thx

Being on top isn't a problem! But if you do wind up on bottom, guard is the only place to be:
Don't lay flat on your back, keep your hips active;
Play offense and don't let him settle in; use your core to crunch him forward and to the sides; keep pressure on his head and don't let him posture or stand up-- keep tying up his arms deep in your armpits, do arm drags to threaten taking his back, keep a high guard and threaten arm bars and triangle chokes by isolating his arms away from his body.....good luck.

Well, I'm not sure what your issues are in the guard. But I'll walk through some of the most common issues with the guard games that beginners have.

The first issue is that it is really easy to think that being in guard is like being on your back. At no point in guard should you be flat on your back. If your opponent is applying pressure you should roll back to your shoulderblades and the base of your neck. If they are backing off, then you should be sitting up to attack them. The guard game is really about making sure that you are using space effectively, making it and taking it away, especially taking it away.

The second issue is mobility in the hips. You have to move the hips to the sides and get them high so that you can attack armbars. You really want to be able to work your legs up into your opponent's armpits if you're attacking from the closed guard.

Other than that, I suggest working through individual techniques. If you need help with the details of techniques, I'm happy to work through those. But the guard theory stuff is really much higher level than you are ready for right now, having just started. It's all well and good to talk about, but it won't do you much good on the mat.

My addition to this thread is to find a partner who is willing to GO SLOW, like 25% or less. Play with what Ironman was saying. Going slow and non-competitive at this stage will let you work on your technique without getting smashed. Good Luck

Being on top isn't a problem! But if you do wind up on bottom, guard is the only place to be:
Don't lay flat on your back, keep your hips active;
Play offense and don't let him settle in; use your core to crunch him forward and to the sides; keep pressure on his head and don't let him posture or stand up-- keep tying up his arms deep in your armpits, do arm drags to threaten taking his back, keep a high guard and threaten arm bars and triangle chokes by isolating his arms away from his body.....good luck.

I could not have said that better myself, honestly!
Rep is coming to you sir.

Only other thing I would add is that be aggressive doesn't mean be careless. I know a lot of guys who try to play the "active guard" and fail hard at it because they just throw things up and don't really think about the consequences. Playing guard you have to be 3 steps ahead at all times. It will come easier with practice, like everything in BJJ, but it pays to be both aggressive and passive. Learn to bait opponents and learn to use your technique, not your strength. You can gas yourself on the bottom much easier trying to force something.

#1 rule for attacking in the guard is to control the posture , you have nothing if your not controlling your opponents posture, after that you can start attacking. When you first start attacking in the guard go for the basics like armbars and triangles , don't get discouraged if you can't nail one of them your first times rolling , no one ever starts off nailing things all over the place as a white belt , the only way to learn how to do the techniques properly is to drill them and go for them when rolling , if your opponent gets past your triangle attempt dont worry about it, its the attempt that counts and you will learn from it. On another thing if you break your opponent down and you know he is going to posture back up as soon as you release him why not follow him up for hip bump sweep, or pretend to go for a gi choke then trap his elbow to ur stomach giving you a shot at an armbar, thinking about little moves like this will really improve your guard game . good luck out there

I could not have said that better myself, honestly!
Rep is coming to you sir.

Only other thing I would add is that be aggressive doesn't mean be careless. I know a lot of guys who try to play the "active guard" and fail hard at it because they just throw things up and don't really think about the consequences. Playing guard you have to be 3 steps ahead at all times. It will come easier with practice, like everything in BJJ, but it pays to be both aggressive and passive. Learn to bait opponents and learn to use your technique, not your strength. You can gas yourself on the bottom much easier trying to force something.

Well said.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MMAcase

#1 rule for attacking in the guard is to control the posture , you have nothing if your not controlling your opponents posture, after that you can start attacking. When you first start attacking in the guard go for the basics like armbars and triangles , don't get discouraged if you can't nail one of them your first times rolling , no one ever starts off nailing things all over the place as a white belt , the only way to learn how to do the techniques properly is to drill them and go for them when rolling , if your opponent gets past your triangle attempt dont worry about it, its the attempt that counts and you will learn from it. On another thing if you break your opponent down and you know he is going to posture back up as soon as you release him why not follow him up for hip bump sweep, or pretend to go for a gi choke then trap his elbow to ur stomach giving you a shot at an armbar, thinking about little moves like this will really improve your guard game . good luck out there

Posture is everything, but it's not about controlling their posture, unless you're going to use a technique that requires their chest and head be down. I would say it's more about knowing what you can and can't do with your opponent in a certain position. If a guy puts his head in your chest and is holding your shoulders flat, you're probably not going to be able to armbar or triangle him unless you're unbelievably flexible.

Think of BJJ like a conversation. If one person is doing all of the talking(all of the techniques i.e sweeps, subs, passes) and the other person is just quiet(laying there like a dead fish then it isn't much of a conversation. In a conversation there is constant back and forth and sometimes you try to talk over one another and sometimes you just have to let him talk other times you need to dominate the conversation. The key is starting to understand and react to your opponent before you're stuck. Once you start to do that a little, then you're in the conversation.